Contact High Exhibition Opens in NYC at the New ICP

The International Center of Photography (ICP) will open its new integrated center at Essex Crossing on Manhattan's Lower East Side with CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, one of four inaugural exhibitions. It will be on view at ICP at 79 Essex Street from January 25 to May 18, 2020. Produced and originated at the Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles's premier destination for photography, CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is a journey through nearly four decades of photography, documenting a movement that impacted music, politics, race relations, fashion, and the culture at large.

Curated by Vikki Tobak, based on the bestselling book of the same name, and with creative direction by Fab 5 Freddy, the exhibition includes nearly 150 works from 60 photographers, including Janette Beckman, Jamel Shabazz, and Gordon Parks. This expanded CONTACT HIGH exhibition includes nearly 10 new works and more than 75 unedited contact sheets from Barron Claiborne's iconic Notorious B.I.G. portraits to early images of Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West. It will also display the Dapper Dan jacket made for Rakim and the crown worn by the Notorious B.I.G. "CONTACT HIGH celebrates a musical genre that speaks truth to power and the photographers who played a critical role in bringing hip-hop's visual culture to the global stage. It provides a rare, inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers through their unedited contact sheets," said Tobak.

The International Center of Photography is the world's leading institution dedicated to photog-raphy and visual culture. Cornell Capa founded ICP in 1974 to champion "concerned photography"—socially and politically minded images that can educate and change the world. Through our exhibitions, education programs, community outreach, and public programs, ICP offers an open forum for dialogue about the power of the image. Visit icp.org to learn more.

The Contact High project celebrates the legendary photographers who have played critical roles in bringing hip-hop culture imagery onto the global stage. Visit contacthighproject.com to learn more.